1. FOOD AND SECURITY
Ensuring food security - the basic right of people to the food they need - is one of the greatest challenges facing the world community. The challenge is most critical in low-income, food-deficit countries. Of the 86 countries that are defined as low-income and food-deficient, 43 are in Africa. Adverse climatic conditions, a slow global economy and conflicts are key factors driving food insecurity in the region
Despite overall gains in food production and food security on a global scale, many countries and whole regions have failed to make progress in recent decades. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, produces less food per person today than it did three decades ago and the number of chronically undernourished people has increased dramatically.
The World Food Summit, held by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome in 1996, reaffirmed the right of everyone to safe and nutritious food.
2. SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, 66 million primary school age children go hungry every day, with 23 million hungry children in Africa alone. Furthermore, 80% of these 66 million children are concentrated within just 20 countries. Additionally, 75 million school-age children (55% of them girls) do not attend school, with 47% of them living in Africa. Thus, the need to reduce hunger while increasing school enrollment in these children is evident, and school feeding programs have been developed to target this multifaceted problem.
Schools have become a natural and convenient setting for the implementation of health and education interventions. School feeding is just one facet of school health initiatives. Additionally, school feeding directly addresses the
MDGs of reducing hunger by one-half, achieving universal primary education, and achieving gender parity in education.
There are two main ways to distribute food through school feeding programs: on-site meals and take-home rations.
On-site meals are foods that are distributed to children while at school during morning and afternoon meal and snack times, which may include a bowl of porridge or nutrient-fortified crackers. Take-home rations are a collection of basic food items, such as a bag of rice and a bottle of cooking oil, which may be sent home and transferred to the families of boys and girls that regularly attend school.
3. THE WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAM (WSP)
Africa is facing an ongoing, endemic water and sanitation crisis that debilitates and kills in large numbers, limiting economic growth, educational access, and life opportunities. Service development has not been able to keep up with the pace of population growth. Of the 753 million people living in Sub-Saharan Africa only 56% use improved water sources (80% urban and 42% rural), the lowest regional coverage in the world. Just 37% of the population has access to adequate sanitation (53% urban and 28% rural).
Working with partners in the field, the Program seeks innovative solutions to the obstacles faced by poor communities, and by providing advice and support to key agencies strives to achieve widespread adoption of these solutions. WSP promotes effective dialogue and exchange of knowledge on best practices on water and sanitation issues for capacity building and sector reform.
4. HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME
Helping Hands Aid for Africa is working towards a world where people, especially children and youth, live without fear of contracting the HIV virus, suffering from HIV related stigma and discrimination and live with zero AIDS related death. Helping Hands Aid for Africa is committed to enabling children, youth and their families infected and affected by HIV and AIDS to live positively and productively.
Despite the progress made by prevention programmes across the globe, the decline in new HIV infections among adults has slowed in the past decade which indicates the need for increased funding and scale up of services.
5. RURAL AFFORESTATION PROGRAMME
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Several new studies suggest that forests attract rain and this may explain why drought is occurring more frequently in parts of the world such as western Africa. African forests work for the well-being of African people but also for the people of the rest of the world, through their climate change mitigation capacity. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most vulnerable to climate change. Further, it faces huge developmental challenges: widespread and endemic poverty; HIV/ AIDS; armed conflict; weak institutions; poor planning; and limited infrastructure, education and access to technology, finance and information. These challenges also compound the impacts of climate change and limit capacity to adapt.
6. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME
Economic empowerment of women not only positively impacts their own life situations but is also central to mobilizing their potential for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Women spend a higher percentage of their income on feeding and educating their children, which is aimed at the well being of their families. Economic independence of women is crucial as it counteracts exploitation, feminization of poverty, discrimination and disregards of their fundamental human right. Gender equality at the economic level therefore contributes directly to the reduction of poverty and overall development. The benefits of the Project include the creation of sustainable employment opportunities through the support for the establishment and development of small enterprises. The project will equally contribute to the improvement of livelihoods for targeted women who will be supported to grow their businesses and incomes.
7. GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROGRAMME
Gender based violence in Malawi exist at a level that requires special acknowledgement. A survey was conducted to assess how social and cultural factors affect gender-based violence in Malawi. The study revealed that both men and women are victims of gender based violence although women bare the brunt of the practice.
8. ELIMINATING CHILD LABOUR PROGRAMME
Child labour is referred to the engagement of children in prohibited work and, more generally, in types of work that are socially and morally undesirable. The 2015 Malawi National Child Labour survey has revealed that 38 percent of Malawian children aged between five and 17 years are into child labour.
9. ELIMINATING EARLY CHILD MARRIAGES PROGRAMME
Malawi is ranked as the 9th country in the world with the highest rate of child marriage for girls under 18, at 47% (DHS 2015-16). Malawi has the second highest rate of child marriage for girls under 18 in Eastern and South Africa, second only to Mozambique.
10. SUPPORTING CHILD HEADED HOUSEHOLDS PROGRAMME
Malawi has a young population: 66 percent of its 17 million people are under age 25; 53 percent are 18 and younger*. 16.7 percent of children under 18 are Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). HIV/AIDS has contributed to Child Headed Households. The children have needs ranging from food, good clothes, good houses, basic education to security.
11. STOP KILLING ALBINALS CAMPAING IN MALAWI PROGRAMME
In Malawi, some think that people with albinism have magic in their bones that could make others rich. The attacks stem from a belief that body parts belonging to people with albinism contain magical powers. The organisation believes that a human rights strategy, including through human rights education and awareness raising, is needed to address the root causes of crimes against people with albinism and to stop further attacks.
12. VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PROGRAMME
The Violence Against Children and Young People in Malawi survey (VACS) reveals that more than 60% of all Malawians were violated during their childhood. The long-term behavioral and health consequences for the victims of violence have been well documented and are enhanced by VACS. The evidence from VACS establishes that young adults who suffered childhood abuse experience higher rates of mental distress, greater prevalence of smoking and alcohol abuse, more frequent procurement of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and higher rates of self-harming behaviors as adults.
